“…You’re glowing.”

“Pardon?”

Eustace blinked, not understanding her words. Lila said no more, instead fiddling with the now-dormant communication stone he’d set down.

She stared at the stone, her black eyes darkening further. I’ll probably never get to use this, she thought bitterly. Magic tools were useless to someone like her, devoid of mana.

“What are you looking at? Jealous? But it’s not like you’d need it anyway—you can’t even use it.”

The words of someone from her past resurfaced, their voice distant and blurry. Perhaps it was one of the shadows she’d trained alongside.

Out of about twenty shadows, only those with talent in magic were given tools like these. Naturally, Lila wasn’t one of them.

“You really can’t sense mana?”

The other shadows had always been curious about Lila, who couldn’t sense mana. Qi and mana were both forms of natural energy, yet inherently incompatible. Mages couldn’t wield qi, and warriors couldn’t wield mana.

But sensing and using were entirely different matters. Warriors could usually sense mana through consistent training. Reaching the Expert level often enabled natural mana detection.

Some even switched from warrior to mage upon discovering latent talent. But no matter how hard Lila tried, she couldn’t sense mana at all.

“Hey, Raven. What are you, really?”

“Even though you’ve reached the advanced level, you still can’t sense mana? That’s unusual.”

“You can see magical energy, right? Then you should be able to sense mana too.”

Lila was an exceptionally peculiar existence, even among the shadows. They found her fascinating or odd, but none of them understood why she couldn’t sense mana.

When she was younger, she thought she’d eventually be able to feel mana if she worked hard enough. She hoped that would please the Emperor—that he’d finally acknowledge her as his daughter.

Buoyed by vague hope, she had made grand plans to abandon the sword, learn magic, and become a grand mage once she could sense mana. But no matter how many hundreds or thousands of times she tried, she couldn’t feel it.

Even after ascending to the rank of Expert, where she could sense the unique magical energy of mages, she still couldn’t detect the fundamental essence of mana. It remained the same even when she reached the advanced Expert level. At best, Lila could overlay her vision with aura to see mana. Yet she didn’t give up.

“Just as you can’t create aura without mastering the use of energy, you can’t use magic unless you can sense and absorb mana to make it your own.”

Sometimes, Lila would secretly use magical tools in the training ground on nights when everyone else was asleep. Countless nights of failure passed.

The night she realized she couldn’t feel mana even after reaching the highest rank, she was caught struggling with a magical tool in the pitch-black darkness by her instructor.

“Give up. You’ll never be able to feel or control mana in your lifetime. Empty dreams only lead to despair.”

The instructor’s cold words were tantamount to a death sentence, a declaration that no matter how hard she tried, she could never become the daughter the Emperor desired.

At last, Lila accepted the fact: unless she was reborn, she would never have a connection with magic in this life. She also came to terms with the reality that, in the eyes of the Emperor, who harbored an almost pathological obsession with magical power, Lila Brender Esteban, who walked the path of the sword, would always be defective.

“Would you like to try using it?”

“Ah.”

Lila snapped out of her thoughts at the kind voice beside her. When she turned, Grand Duke Eustace was looking at her with a gentle smile.

“Are you curious about the communication stone?”

“Not curious, really… I’ve used communication artifacts before.”

Flustered, Lila quickly put down the communication stone. Her face grew hot, as if someone had discovered her hidden secret. Unlike others, Grand Duke Eustace neither mocked her nor said it was futile. He simply picked up the communication stone and placed it in her hand.

“Your Grace…?”

Lila blinked in confusion. When their eyes met, the Grand Duke’s soft smile deepened. He wrapped his hand around hers, which was holding the communication stone. Golden magical energy flowed from his hand—tingling like soft down, warm like sunlight—and enveloped her hand.

“Your Highness?”

When the golden energy seeped into Lila’s hand and flowed back out through her fingertips, the communication stone immediately lit up. Lila flinched at the voice coming from the communication stone, just as before.

“Your Grace?”

“It’s nothing. I’m just showing a guest how to use the communication stone.”

“I understand. The meal is ready, so I’ll bring it up immediately. If you need anything else, just call.”

The short conversation ended, and the blue glow of the communication stone faded. Overwhelmed by a strange feeling, Lila held the communication stone tightly. She couldn’t quite describe how she felt.

“Nobles who aren’t mages usually use magical tools in this way,” Eustace explained, wiggling his fingers slightly.

“Okay…”

“If there’s anything else you’d like to try, feel free to let me know.”

The Grand Duke gestured with a flick of his hand. Lila nodded silently.

‘Thank you.’

The words of gratitude lingered in her mouth but refused to come out. Her voice wouldn’t cooperate. She barely managed to suppress the strange trembling welling up inside her.

Knock, knock.

“Oh, it seems the food has arrived.”

Elvin, who had been quietly attending to documents while glancing at them occasionally, jumped up at the knock on the door. The Grand Duke flicked his fingers slightly, and the closed door glided open.

“Your Grace.”

A woman with a kind expression entered, carrying a large tray through the open door.

“Emma, I didn’t expect you to come up yourself.”

“It’s a matter of hosting a distinguished guest.”

Smiling warmly at the Grand Duke, Emma turned her attention to Lila.

“Hello, guest. My name is Emma Lowes. I oversee the household here at the Grand Duke’s estate.”

“Hello.”

‘Is she like Elvin, someone who knows who I really am?’ Lila wondered for a moment. Judging by the Grand Duke’s lack of explanation, she suspected as much.

“I’m Lila.”

Making her decision, Lila introduced herself. Just in case, she withheld her full name.

“Lady Lila, then. Please feel free to call me Emma.”

Emma smiled warmly despite the informal tone that could have been perceived as rude. Her soft brown eyes and lightly pink lips curved gently. Lila, unsure how to respond to the friendly greeting directed at her, merely rolled her eyes.

“Tomato Caprese, mushroom soup, rye bread sandwiches, and banana butter toast. For the drink, I’ve prepared chilled lemon tea.”

Emma placed the dishes from the tray onto the table, providing a brief explanation. The fragrant aroma tickling Lila’s nose made her mouth water, and her hands twitched slightly. Just like yesterday, everything looked delicious.

“I’ll bring dessert once you’re done.”

“Ah, well, I’ll step out for a moment….”

As Emma quietly withdrew, Elvin hesitated before awkwardly following her out of the study. Left alone, Lila finally picked up her spoon and took a sip of the soup.

“…!”

It was delicious. The savory flavor, along with the slight crunch of something inside, was distinctly different from the corn soup she had eaten yesterday. Lila’s hands moved quickly, and before long, the soup bowl was spotless. Moving on, she popped a slice of tomato layered with cheese into her mouth, shivering as she hunched her shoulders.

“Does it suit your taste?”

Lila nodded repeatedly while chewing the tomato. Despite trying all of this for the first time, everything was delightful.

“I’m glad. Please, take your time.”

Grand Duke Eustace watched Lila with a relieved expression as she became fully engrossed in her meal.

“I suppose I’ll need to call a tailor tomorrow. Although I instructed Emma to prepare some clothes for you, it won’t be enough….”

Seeing Lila still wearing the same outfit as yesterday, the Grand Duke lowered his gaze, lost in thought. Lila, just about to take a bite of her sandwich, tilted her head.

“Clothes?”

“Yes, casual wear, outdoor attire, party dresses, nightgowns, robes, jackets… There’s quite a list. I sincerely apologize. I should have paid more attention.”

Clothes? Lila glanced down at her entirely black, undecorated outfit. Designed for ease of movement and practicality, it was tailored for assassination missions. While examining her attire, Lila looked up at the Grand Duke.

In stark contrast to her plain black clothes, Grand Duke Eustace wore a navy shirt adorned with golden embroidery along the collar and cuffs, complete with silver buttons engraved with his family’s crest. Whether it was the light, casual white shirt from yesterday or today’s elegant and formal one, everything seemed to suit him perfectly.

And what about her? Beyond the black color, she had been wearing the same outfit for three days straight. A sudden sense of unease crept in, and Lila discreetly lifted her sleeve to her nose. Thankfully, there was no smell, but compared to the Grand Duke, she couldn’t help but feel shabby.

“What kind of clothes do you prefer? I assume shirts and trousers are more comfortable than dresses or gowns? I think Eastern silk would suit you well too. It’s currently quite fashionable among the nobility.”

Whether aware of her thoughts or not, the Grand Duke chattered enthusiastically.

“Well…”

“Ah, and we should decide on someone to assist you soon.”

The Grand Duke muttered with some reluctance. Though he wanted to personally handle everything for her, there was no guarantee that today’s events wouldn’t happen again.

Moreover, no matter how much he cared for her, he couldn’t attend to matters like dressing or bathing her himself. For Lila’s sake, he had to assign a personal attendant, even if it displeased him.

Perhaps Emma would be the best choice. As he considered appointing the head maid, who had been his nanny and a loyal servant of the Eustace family, Lila also fell into her own contemplation.

The Grand Duke was right; if she intended to stay here, she would need clothes. Maybe not a whole wardrobe, but at least three or four outfits to rotate through. However, Lila had no money.

Even with her limited general knowledge and lack of social experience, she understood that buying food or clothes required money.

“…Ah!”

A small exclamation escaped Lila as if she’d just realized something. She hadn’t paid for the meals she’d eaten over the past two days. Recalling that fact, her appetite abruptly vanished. Lila quietly set down the sandwich she had been eating.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? Does it not taste good?”

Noticing her stop, the Grand Duke, deep in thought, reacted promptly. At his concerned question, Lila spoke with a gloomy expression as if a dark cloud had settled over her.

“I don’t have any money.”